Reign and Hail
by Shax
Summary: Robotnik has fallen, but somebody has taken over immediately. There is still no freedom for the Freedom Fighters.


REIGN AND HAIL 

Series 3 - The Runes of Awakening   
Episode 1 

[Visit Shax's Virtual Den][1]   
[E-mail the author][2]

The clock ticked over to midnight. 

The official first second of the year 2000 took place, followed by the next. It would take another approxomite 31536000000 seconds until another single second had the glory of being the official first second of a year labelled with three zeros. But, for now, the cycle had counted down to zero, reset, and life went on. 

Regardless, all was silent. 

The previous month had been one of great destruction. Chaos itself had broken free and ultimately brought intense destruction apon Mobius. Robotropolis was destroyed. Its inhabitants either dead or fled for their lives. The city was half standing, but mostly levelled. It looked like an ancient ruin, the moss and fungi already beginning to form on the walls of the lifeless city. Doctor Ivo Robotnik, the corrupt and evil dictator, who ironically brought this entire destruction apon himself, had been arrested and sentanced to banishment. Mecha Sonic, his loyal robotic assistant, had fled south, and had not been heard from in a very long time. Packbell, leader of the armies of Robotropolis, was destroyed by Chaos. Vlad the Bat had returned to the forest and vanished, lacking the employers who had taken him in. E-100 Genesis, Robotnik's mute robotic friend, had also been presumably destroyed in the onslought. And finally, E-102 Gamma, the only one of Robotnik's creations ever to discover the errors of the evil life, the only robot to be built with a heart, had sacrificed himself so that the Freedom Fighters could live to see another day.   
But there was new activity. Amidst the death.. amidst the destruction, the devistation, strangers appeared. Huge machines.. barely visible on the horizon at first, but they began to encroach on the ruin.   
They were black.. not shining, either, just matt black war machines.. each with four long legs for transit and several enormous guns. And, in the lead, was the biggest machine to be seen around those parts since the Egg Carrier. A war machine of rediculous proportions... embedded consistantly with the same symbol. The symbol of one red spider and one white spider crossed with two swords. 

His name was Saddam Herodiko Nashistomor Facraddicos Fransesco De Cromologrash Stephani La Romulus Fri Grakon Spinster the Third. His title was Third Dictator of the Webb. The terantula in the seat of the leading machine served to dictate those below him and hail those above him. He had travelled from the city of Wolven, far to the West, and had arrived in Robotropolis for only one reason. War. The Arack Empire didn't take too kindly to unpaid debts, and Robotnik had his fair share. But the spider was confused when he approached the wreckage. With a screech, the machine slowly lowered its operator to the ground. Spinster was holding a flag in his two left hands, blocking the sun from his eyes with his upper right hand and giving his army non-verbal instructions with his lower right, while his four feet stalked the area. Eventually he turned and reported to his minions.   
"We are too late!" he shouted. "It appears, by inspection of this scene, that Doctor Robotnik had made more enemies than simply those of the Webb! He has been crushed by an earlier war prior to our arrival, and has either fled or been killed. But, my allies! Our journey across many lands has NOT been in vain! For we shall reclaim our debt.. this very city! For once, Mobitropolis was a magnificant city.. at the fall of Mobitropolis came the birth of Robotropolis, which proved more magnificant than its forerunner.. and now, Robotropolis has fallen, and on its ruins shall be constructed Terantulopolis, the ninth city of the fourth web of the Arack Empire! And it shall be the greatest city.. of all!" 

It was four weeks later when Sally Acorn recieved the telegram. 

"Hey Sal!" Sonic shouted, running through New Knothole. "A buncha guys just ran through the village dressed like they were going to a costume party!"   
"Huh..?" Sally asked, raising an eyebrow.   
Sonic arrived at her hut, and leaned on her doorway. "They dropped off something for you." He held out a large curled-up scroll.   
"To the Mobian in Authority." the broken seal stated. "I didn't peek, honest!" Sonic chuckled, winking.   
Sally took the scroll and fumbled it a little. She dropped the bottom handle, and the document unravelled, hitting the ground with a thump. The writing was in a fancy old-English style.   
"Humble peasent of the village." the scroll was headed. Sally frowned and read onward. After all, she was a PRINCESS.   
"Through much effort and war, the Arack Empire has succeeded over the scourge which was Ivo Robotnik, allowing you to live free in peace and harmony."   
"Who the heck is the Arack Empire?" Sonic asked, standing shoulder-to-shoulder with Sally and grabbing one side of the scroll.   
"Obviously a band of very humble folk." Sally replied, sarcastically.   
"You are invited now to return to the major city of this continent, which is now free of the demonic ruler. Robotnik has been succeeded by a much more worthy Emporer, Webb Lord Saddam Spinster. The city has been re-named as Terantulopolis in honor of the Webb. You may now live free once again.   
Signed, Hon. Advisor to the Throne, Squit Is'sus."   
Sonic frowned. "What a heap of mumbo-jumbo! What's it trying to say?"   
"It appears that Robotropolis has been re-built in the honor of yet ANOTHER unrightful ruler." Sally replied.   
"WHAT?" Sonic shouted. "You mean, like another ROBOTNIK? Jeez... This is de'ja'vu!"   
Sally shook her head. "With any luck, and from the sounds of this telegram, the new ruler could be as worthy and just as my father was. While I won't get to be queen, this could be just as good."   
"But Sal..." Sonic began.   
"But nothing." Sally snapped, dropping the scroll to the ground. "You're coming with me and Amy to investigate, then we're all going there to live. Tell the villagers we'll be going home soon."   
With that, she left the hut.   
Sonic stood there and thought. Sally's mind had been clouded in anticipation of freedom. December of the last year had such a happy ending that it seemed impossible for anything else to go wrong. Now this had happened, and Sally refused to open her mind to the possibility that the Freedom Fighters still might not be free... 

Amy Rose moved her lips slightly as she read the scroll to herself.. then she looked up with surprise.   
"What does this mean?" she asked. "Who is this almighty Webb Lord bloke?"   
"Whoever he is, Sally thinks she can straighten it out." Sonic replied.   
"After all, she does have the rightful ownership of the kingdom, this guy probably thinks it's just free land."   
"Well, I HOPE so!" Amy exclaimed, rolling the scroll up with both hands. "Sounds to me like we're stuck with another Robotnik! Out of the frying pan, into the fire.."   
"And it's only been weeks..." Sonic added. "These dictators sure waste no time. Anyway, Sally wants us to go and check it out. You, me an' her. She's certain of the fact that we're all free now, despite whatever outcome."   
"I don't blame her.." Amy muttered. "The Great War officially ended a few years back, but it never REALLY ended until earlier last month... poor girl's been waiting for that moment for so long.."   
"You don't seem quite as excited.." Sonic mentioned.   
Amy shrugged. "I enjoy the adventures.." she replied. "I like getting around. Sure, I want us to be free, and I'll fight until we are.. but if it takes another twenty years, then so be it!"   
"Me too." Sonic said, grinning. "Sometimes I feel like I was MADE for the adventure.. something happens almost every month, it's like being in some cheezy cartoon series about myself.."   
Amy laughed heartily. "You wish!" she chuckled, nudging him.   
"Hey, I kinda like the sound of 'The Sonic the Hedgehog Show'!" Sonic admitted, chuckling.   
"How about 'The Adventures of Amy Rose'?" Amy asked.   
"How about 'The Sonic and Amy Hour'?" Sonic asked. Then the two broke down laughing. They continued to do so until Sally approached.   
"Are you two Freedom Fighters, or hyeenas?" she inquired. "Pack your stuff.. we're leaving."   
Amy wiped a tear from her eye. "She ain't to happy, is she?" she asked. Sonic inadvertantly watched Sally walk off. He felt her pain, he really did.. but NOBODY could possibly be as bad as Robotnik had been. No matter how evil... no matter how twisted... no matter how powerful... Nobody, NOBODY could be as bad as Ivo Julian Robotnik.........right? 

"Destroy him." Saddam Spinster said firmly.   
"Excuse me, sire?" the other spider asked, leaning on the doorway slightly. His name was Squit. More commonly known around the Spinster colony as Honorable Advisor to the Throne Squit Is'sus. He was, for lack of a more serious-sounding descriptive term, a daddy-long-legs spider. His long, thin, pole-like legs stretched right up above his head, bent at the knee, then went straight to the floor. Because of this natural trait, he was unable to stand upright like most other species of Mobian Spider. He scurried almost on his belly, but he was very quick. His two front limbs he used as arms and hands.. most frequently seen holding a pen and paper, for Spinster quite commonly dictated (yes, he was good at dictating) his various letters and important documents. But most of the time, Squit carried messages back and forth.. despite his title, Spinster usually took it apon himself to do all the advising.   
"The robot you found..." Spinster replied impatiently. "I said destroy him! Robotnik's trashed machines are of no use to me."   
"He's an android, sire.." Squit corrected. "Or at least the upper half of something which USED to be an android.. his awareness chip is still perfectly intact in his...uh...uh...uh... cranium, even though his body is unrepairable. Is that a word? Anyway...uh...uh...it might be of some use..... uh, Sir. Sire... Lord.. Master, Sir." The spider talked quickly and nervously, as he watched his master's eyebrows move lower and lower. Spinster scratched his head and thought. "Very well." he replied. "Save the chip. Destroy the body."   
Squit nodded, spun around, and walked away.   
"Now we need residents." Spinster announced to himself. "Workers... Terantulopolis, my beautiful city, will soon be accepted as a political participant in the union of the Webb. And then..." His four hands clamped onto the desk. "..The racial cleansing." He chuckled to himself, showing that THAT was probably his favourite aspect of the grand plan. 

Sally, Sonic and Amy Rose walked through the forest towards the city.... the city which Robotnik had once used to inflict his wrath apon the continent with his horrid robots, and the utterly evil Robotizer invention. Tails had dropped them off in the Tornado 2 about a mile from the city, and that was the rendezvous point for the three to return to. (Tails had found his biplane only recently.. when Streak the Cat returned to New Knothole, he had brought it with him. He never explained how he got it, it was thought to be lost on the Egg Carrier in December.)   
"So, what do you reckon the new neighbours look like?" Sonic asked.   
"Dunno.." replied Amy. "There'll be tonnes of workmen around, anyhow.. Robotropolis was completely obliterated by Chaos, they'd just about have to rebuild brick-by-brick."   
"We'll have homes again." Sally fantacised. "With air conditioning... beautiful gardens.."   
"Television." Sonic added. "And video consoles.. corner stores packed with junk food.. Oh the JUNK FOOD! Beautiful.. sweet.. factory processed goodness."   
"And shopping!" Amy reminded them. "I need new clothes.. I haven't gone shopping since Station Square was destroyed!"   
"That was last month!" Sonic added.. then the two burst out laughing. They passed over a familiar hill. Sonic, in his curious haste, began to jog. "Race 'ya!" he offered.   
Amy took off after him, and the two raced towards the city. Sally remained at the same pace.. eyes fixed ahead of her, almost hypnotically. She didn't even seem to notice they were gone. Once again, she was deep in thought.   
Sonic looked around and saw the pink hedgehog gaining on him. Holy smokes, she was fit! In Sonic's ever-present urge to show-off (or was it flirt?), he poured on the juice and left his persuer in the dust. Amy stopped running and slowed to a jog, almost hysterical with laughter. She reached the top of the hill, and Sonic was standing there, staring ahead. Amy laughed a little less, then collapsed on her hands and knees to catch her breath. Sally was approaching, too. Amy looked back at her for a while, then looked up at Sonic. She could just see his back, so she couldn't read his expression. But he was just standing there, still as a post. Was his arm shivering a little?   
"Well, you beat me.. again!" she admitted. "Lets go, 'ya big show-off!"   
"No.." Sonic replied.   
"No?" Amy asked. "No what?"   
"No.. I.. can't believe it." Sonic repeated. Ever so slowly, he stepped back, shaking his head side to side.   
"Sonic.. what's up?" Amy asked. Sally arrived, and looked up at Sonic also.   
"It's only been FOUR WEEKS!" Sonic complained. "Five, tops!"   
Amy, curiosity overwhelming her, Sally following, peered over the top of the hill. They too froze.   
Robotropolis was back.   
No, it was worse than Robotropolis.   
It was bigger.   
It was darker... almost black. A lot of the buildings were painted black.   
Hovercraft and walking machines stomped through the streets. Guards marched.   
There was a crane at the gate. The only sign that this city, seemingly running for years in this state, was still under construction. The crane was erecting a sign. 

  
TERANTULOPOLIS 

Democratic haven for war refugees   
"Domino crus elamszachrata nichskil sza"   
"Heil to the heavens, and heil to the Webb" 

CHAPTER ONE: ARACHNOPHOBIA 

Squit Is'sus scurried through the main chamber of Terantulopolis. He admired how quickly the city had been built... but spiders were always quick builders. He stopped to watch the goings on... a group of soldiers had carried the body of an android named Packbell to the main boiler room.. and, with a heave, they dropped the robot's torso into the heating vat, filled with molten metals. The magma burned up the robot's military uniform instantly, and bubbled as the rest of Robotnik's creation melted away, it's metallic components just adding to the magma vat which provided Terantulopolis with much of it's raw energy and heat. Packbell's green-clothed legs were heaved in afterward, and the only thing remaining was the android's motherboard - his awareness chip - which had been taken away for study, and would eventually provide Saddam Spinster with quite a lot of information about the goings on in and around Robotropolis in the previous years. It would teach him of the Robotizer, of Robotnik's other creations, of Robotnik's robot schematics, and of the events which led to the destruction of the city... and, of course, of the Freedom Fighters. Currently, Spinster had no idea about anything except that Ivo had owed him quite a lot of money, and that debt was now paid four-fold with the plot of land which could quite possibly house one of the greatest cities in all of the Arack Empire.   
Squit peered out the window to see a huge vehicle approaching.. a royal vehicle. A carriage, pulled by two large robotic spiders. The advisor didn't need to guess who was in it - it was Lady Venomax. Spinster's wife. A bloated, over-elaboritely-dressed terantula stepped from the carriage, holding a scepter. Her eyes, the way they looked around, instantly showed that Venomax was as quick to temper as Spinster's army was quick to build Terantulopolis. She dragged her massive abdomen as she walked to the main gates. With her in the viscinity, the city would almost surely never be even remotely quiet again. She bickered with her husband as if they were members of opposing political parties. What Squit didn't witness was the entrance of three outsiders, no more than five minutes later. 

"This isn't a city..." Sonic announced. "Geez, it's like some kind of MACHINE!"   
Somebody dark and shadowy, with twice the usual number of required limbs, scurried past them. Amy shuddered and moved a little closer to her companions.   
"Do you notice anything about the inhabitants here?" she whispered to Sonic. The Hedgehog turned to her and found her to be shuddering. "I've yet to actually see anybody properly." Sonic replied. "The black atmosphere here makes too much shadow."   
"SPIDERS!" Amy exclaimed, whispering, but loudly. "They like the dark, Sonic! They creep around in it.. and you can't trust a spider! If there's one thing I've learned, you can't trust a spider! They're just... they're different, Sonic! So different! Too many arms and legs.."   
"That's a stereotype.." Sonic replied.   
"I don't like this.." Amy outlined. "I don't like any of it. SPIDERS have taken over Robotropolis, Sonic! SPIDERS!"   
"I've never met a spider, myself." Sonic said. "It might prove rather fascinating."   
"I've seen a few." Sally admitted. It was the first time she had spoken a whole sentance in over an hour. "When I lived in Mobitropolis. There were only a couple. Never spoke to one.. they keep to themselves a lot. They always keep to themselves."   
"These ones don't seem to mind socialising.." Sonic noted.   
"I think you'll find they don't much." Sally corrected. "Spider colonies.. usually the residents do what they have to do for their authorities without speaking much. It's the royals who have the social skills."   
"The royals?" Sonic asked. "They're a monarchy?"   
"Usually a dictatorship." Sally said. "They claim to be a democracy, but it's an odd system, really. They have this thing called The Webb, it's like all their cities combined to form a political web, and..."   
"Let's go.." Amy whined, interrupting. "This is really creeping me out.."   
"Amy.. you're braver than that!" Sonic announced, surprised.   
"I think I've got the Mobian version of arachnophobia." Amy replied morbidly.   
Sonic looked up and noticed they were approaching the main tower... where Robotnik had lived and controlled Robotropolis. Now it was coated in sticky strings, like a cobweb. Under that, it was painted black, and the doors were open, invitingly.   
Sonic turned to the girls and pointed both arms to the dark doorway.   
"Ladies first!" he announced. 

Once inside, Sonic, Amy and Sally noticed that they could see the spiders properly. They scurried about in all directions, carrying all manner of commodities.. Amy had been right about one thing, at least - something about these Mobians just wasn't right. They simply had too many limbs. Most of them used four as arms and four as legs, but that was more than they needed. And their faces were furry with two relatively normal-looking eyes, but, where other Mobian people had mouths, the spiders had pincers.. jagged spears which crossed over each other below their eyes, and which moved quickly when they talked. Several of them eyed the three newcomers warily. But one thing Sonic noticed was that there were other species' walking around. The more normal-looking Mobians.. raccoons, squirrels.. Sonic thought he saw a fox, too. But there was something strange.. like the spiders, the other species', which were obviously from the villages which were trapped by Robotnik, were all working. Carrying things, running around. Wasn't this a supposed war refuge?   
"WELCOME!" somebody shouted.   
The three visitors spun around.. there was a huge, burley wolf spider standing there, who looked clearly able to pound them into bricks for the wall with little or no effort on his part. Amy choked on a scream, while Sally and Sonic stood silent.   
"Welcome to Terantulopolis!" the spider repeated. "You are now safe from the clutches of Robotnik!"   
"Who are you?" Sonic inquired.. while thinking a different question   
"are you going to kill us?", but not saying it aloud in case it gave him an entertaining idea.   
"I am Baccerat!" the spider announced, bowing low. "Official welcomer and job assigner for Terantulopolis!"   
Baccarat looked at Sonic with a bizarre kind of interest. He grabbed the hedgehog's arm, and inspected it. "You're quite fit!" he remarked.   
"Thanks.." Sonic replied. "Look, we're here because we think there might be a misunderstanding. Who is.."   
"Are you a fast runner?" Baccarat asked him. Sonic choked on the sentance he was unable to finish, and ended up saying "Yeah, I'm the fastest on Mobius, I think.."   
"Aaah, very good!" Baccarat remarked. "You can be a messenger. Report to Mr. Is'sus' office, and he will give you your orders!" He clapped his hairy hands together. "Chop chop! Time is of the essence!" Before Sonic could get a word in either way, the spider had moved on to Amy, and was fondling her arm, much to her ultimate disgust.   
"You are quite fit, also!" Baccarat admired. "Much strength in those arms! And I see you are of the female variety! Can you mix drinks?" Amy was horrified. "None of your racking business, you great big hairy pervert!"   
Baccarat raised an eyebrow, which looked like a fat caterpillar was crawling up his forehead. "Enthusiastic.." he murmered. "You shall be a waitress.. report to the kitchen, the head food preparation minister will direct you."   
Amy stuck out her tongue and squinted in the horror of the thought of probably delivering platters of live bugs and flies' blood to a pack of ravernous Mobian sentient arachnids.   
"Well, what are you waiting for?" Baccarat demanded of Sonic and Amy.   
"Buzz off! We don't have all day!" The friendly tone to his voice had vanished somewhere along the lines of the conversation. Now Sonic thought he could feel the frost eminating from the spider's mouth. This was a bad idea. This whole affair was a very bad idea.   
"Now you, peasent! Do you know anything about egg keeping? Lady Venomax will soon be laying, and we need plenty of maids available for the hatching children.." he began to inform Sally. The squirrel had other ideas.   
"WHAT THE HELL DO I LOOK LIKE, A BABYSITTER??" She exploded. "You cannot command us duties, you have no idea who you're speaking to! THAT is Sonic the Hedgehog, who was one of our most important members in the war against Robotnik! THAT is Amy Rose, once leader of the Station Square army of Freedom Fighters! And _I_, sir, am SALLY ACORN, QUEEN OF MOBITROPOLIS!!! We want.. no, we DEMAND to see whoever the HELL is RUNNING this HOUSE OF CLOWNS!!"   
Baccarat did not seem intimidated. In fact, the expression on his face and the slight droplet of green venom on the end of one of his crossing fangs showed that whatever was stopping him from ripping out her vital body organs was about the diameter of a strand of hair. He was quite obviously not used to being pushed around by racial outsiders of any kind, let alone WOMEN.   
"Are you quite finished?" he demanded. "Okay, now let me tell YOU something, OUTSIDER! Look out that window!"   
Sally just scowled.   
"LOOK OUT THAT WINDOW!" Baccarat screeched. His arms shot out to the side. His fangs spread and squirted something green that looked like acid. He'd puffed out like a mad cat, and he looked frighteningly intimidating. Sally turned her head and looked out the window. Black buildings across a concrete landscape. All that black paint seemed to absorb all hopes of freedom along with the light.   
"THIS is Terantulopolis!" Baccarat declared, shrinking back to normal. "The ninth city of the fourth web of the Arack Empire! HERE, I am the job assigner! HERE, you are NOT a queen, you are a MAID! THIS is part of the Webb! THIS is the ARACK EMPIRE! Mobitropolis was destroyed.. this is your home now."   
"That sounds like exactly what Robotnik said right before he turned his visitors into robot slaves.." Sally growled. "That will not happen again. I want to speak to your leader. I want to speak to him now." She had stopped screaming, but her fingers were white and the nails were drawing blood from her clenched palms, Sonic noticed.   
"You cannot speak to Lord Spinster!" Baccarat chuckled. "Not the likes of you!"   
He turned around. "GUARDS! GET OVER HERE!"   
Two enormous huntsman spiders in armour marched towards them.   
"The blue one is a messenger, the pink one is a waitress, and the brown one is a maid." Baccarat informed the guards. "Please escort them to their respective places in society."   
The guards decided that they would partake in this task with maximum enjoyment on their part. They looked like the kinds of people who shot non-Aracks for recreational purposes. 

CHAPTER TWO: SEARCH FOR FREEDOM 

Sonic evaded the attack easily. Sally leaped away with more difficulty. Amy didn't escape at all. 

"Hey! That's not very nice!" Sonic warned. He jumped out of the way of the bulky guard, who collapsed onto the spot where the hedgehog had been. Sonic blew a raspberry at him, and awaited the next attack. The spider guard grabbed for him, and he bounced away like a blue rubber ball, landing behind Baccarat. The wolf spider growled and spun around. Sonic poked him in the eyes, and when he stumbled backward, wincing, the hedgehog jumped and spiralled up until he was standing on his shoulders. The furious guard leaped, and tackled Baccarat.. both spiders landing in a heap, while Sonic bounded away. More guards turned, alert to the problem, and raced after him. He ran down the halls to escape.. completely aware that this scenario was very familiar. Robotropolis had surely returned. The only difference was that these henchmen had twice the required number of limbs, and bodies of flesh instead of crude metal. Their four legs made them able to run at the exact same frightening speed that Robotnik's SWAT-Bots (And later, E-100's and E-101's) had been able to travel. Sonic was racked with De'Ja'Vu the entire journey.   
Eventually, he lost his persuers. He had entered some kind of dark corridor, which was lined with webbing. There was an intense heat further down. Curiosity overwhelming him, and danger being too great to turn back, he continued down. There was no lighting, only a faint glow.   
He poked his head around a corner...   
Hundreds, perhaps thousands, of small spiders were working. This must have been the bowels of Terantulopolis. Heating and generating apperatus covered the walls. Spiders were turning ducts, spinning wheels, releasing steam, carrying coal... In the center of the room was what was causing such heat. A huge pool of red goop, best described as molten lava. It was being pumped through the machinery. That was probably what helped keep the tower humid and warm.... A thought suddenly invaded Sonic's head.   
Robotnik had run a city.   
The Arack Empire were running Hell. 

Sally Acorn jumped at the same time that Sonic had jumped to avoid their attackers. While Sonic was spiralling around Baccarat, Sally was on the ground, her left foot being held firmly by a guard. She kicked the spider hard in the nose (or where a nose would be in most other Mobian species) until she was let free. Then she sprinted.   
She only looked back once.. and noticed that all the guards were persuing Sonic.   
"He'll lead them away." she thought. "He won't get caught. Four years racing SWAT-bots will see to that."   
Sally rounded a corridor. The building became increasingly darker and more humid as she went on. Eventually, she began to hear voices. She ducked into a dark side-room so she wouldn't be caught out. It was filled with boxes and crates.. and spiderwebs.   
As her eyes adjusted to the dark, she saw who had been talking. Walking slowly along the corridor were two figures.. one scrawny, and one anything but.   
A short, lanky terantula, glorified in robes and jewelry of all kinds, carried a pole as tall as he was. There was a flag on it, with a design... one red spider and one white spider, with two swords crossing over it. The other figure was enormous. A terantula, yes, but a woman. Her abdomen took up the walkway, and made it hard for her comrade to walk beside her. 

"How do you like my city, my pet?" the male asked.   
"TOO COLD!" the woman screeched. "My eggs won't hatch!"   
"That will be fixed!" the male assured her. "This city will be the most spectacular in all the Webb... or my name isn't Saddam Spinster!"   
"It better be, Husband!" the female cried, "Or I'll devour you one day, I swear it!"   
"Settle down, settle down!" the male, Spinster, warned. "So much as nibble on me and you'll be exiled before you know it!" The female spider stormed off, swaying her incredible abdomen behind her like a sack of laundry.   
Spinster stood for a while, staring into darkness. For a moment, Sally thought she was caught... but then the spider continued on.   
"So that's who runs this city." she thought. "Saddam Spinster... the next Robotnik." 

While Sally peeled off in one direction and Sonic in the other, Amy was vulnerable to attack. The two guards were preoccupied with her allies, so she decided to bolt. Looking back, she saw that Sonic was jumping around Baccarat, and Sally was running into the shadows.   
Amy turned to zip around a corner, and slipped and fell. Somebody grabbed her and pulled her up. She struggled until she got her arm loose, and punched her attacker in the face hard. She wished she had kept her retractable mallet. When she was released, she stumbled away... right into the grasp of Baccarat. He was pretty beat up after his run-in with Sonic, but he was strong enough to keep her firmly in place. She looked around. Spiders were closing in on her. One of them looked like royalty in his robes, jewelry and flag.   
"You're part of Arack now." she heard someone say.   
She looked out a window. She could see trees.. grass... outside the city, it was growing healthy and strong. Birds flew around. It was the last time in the year 2000 that Amy Rose would see freedom. 

*** 

It was much later in the day. Squit Is'sus scrambled into Spinster's office room. The dictator had been looking out the blinds. He shifted a gaze to his advisor.   
"Two outsiders got away!" Squit announced.   
"Impossible." Spinster replied. "Terantulopolis is impenetrable."   
"We're searching for them now!" Squit added. "There's a brown squirrel lady, and um.... uh... uh... a blue, uh, hedgehog."   
Spinster raised a furry eyebrow. "Blue hedgehog? HA! No matter!" he laughed. "That will be the LEAST of my worries!"   
Both burst out into fits of cackling laughter... neither realising just how wrong Spinster was to say that.   
And then, as the sun began to go down, Saddam Spinster, dubbed 'the New Robotnik' by Sally, laughed his way out of this story...... 

EPILOGUE: 

Sally and Sonic met outside the city of Terantulopolis. Both were beat up, and horrified as to what they had seen.   
In the darkness, activity in the city was picking up. If it was creepy before, it was creepier now. The spiders were building again... God only knows what. Maybe they were adding to the city... or maybe they were spinning webs. Whatever they were doing, it was far from Sally's mind. 

She stared at the moonlight. The moon seemed big and had a blue tinge to it. Yes... only once in a blue moon would her luck be so sour.   
"Did Amy make it out?" Sonic inquired.   
Sally was startled by Sonic's sudden speech.   
"No.." she replied. "The Freedom Fighters will have to find a way to get her out of there. It isn't safe."   
"The Freedom Fighters?" Sonic asked.   
"Ayup." Sally replied, staring back at the moon. "The Freedom Fighters are back together, and we're leading them in the war against Arack, Sonic." "Man... why did this happen?" Sonic demanded, kicking a rock. "WHY?" "Perhaps it's our destiny, Sonic." Sally replied, bluntly. "Maybe we defeated Robotnik too soon. Whatever the situation, we're back where we started. The battle against Chaos was like the Great War over again, and now we're back where we fragging well started. The Freedom Fighters will continue until we're free, Sonic. This is not free. This is passing the buck from one dictator to another. One day.. we will truly be free." 

They travelled back to New Knothole.. just like refugees from Robotnik had done five years prior. Travelled back to join the fight for freedom. 

THE END

   [1]: http://www.stas.net/1/shax/Virtualden.html
   [2]: mailto:Shaxr@angelfire.com



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